Text
by MCTVFan
Summary: A text from Andy's phone brings long-buried issues to the surface for Sharon. Will she be able to work through them or is the past too big of an obstacle to overcome? Shandy angst
1. Chapter 1

Thank you all so much for your continued support and kind words. This story started as a simple idea in my head that had an almost comical feel to it, but somehow, when I sat down to write it, it turned into something rather angsty. So, this story is not my usual Shandy fluff. This was also my biggest challenge to date because I love these two so much it was difficult to think about anything angsty happening between them. I hope I did the characters justice as well as the story. I definitely welcome all of your feedback since this is somewhat uncharted territory for me as a writer.

I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters. That honor belongs to James Duff and co. I just enjoy writing about them.

* * *

Chapter One

It had been a while since the team had gone out together to grab drinks at the end of a case. After the most recent one, everyone seemed to agree that it was long overdue. As each member of the squad started to pack up for the day (and hopefully, the weekend), Andy decided to see if Sharon wanted to join them. He knocked softly on her open office door and entered before she had a chance to invite him in. She looked up at him, and when their eyes met, they shared a smile.

"Nice work with the family today, Andy," she said softly. He had taken the victim's family under his wing and really helped them through the loss of their loved one. His careful attention led to the victim's wife opening up more and providing information that ended up solving the case. The fact that she seemed to take a particular liking to Andy did not go unnoticed by Sharon, but she dismissed it. She knew Andy was only doing his job, and he had done it very well.

"It's gotta be tough. I know I didn't die, but I did leave my family in a way. I know how hard that was for them," he said reflecting on his past.

"Except, your family is lucky. They have you back," she said with a sad smile. The plight of the victim's family still weighing on her mind.

"Yeah, I guess. Listen, everybody's going out for drinks. You want to join us? I have to babysit Provenza, so I certainly wouldn't mind the company," he said with a smile.

"I wish I could, but Rusty has that trip this weekend for his journalism class. I want to see him before he heads out," she stated before glancing at her watch. "In fact, I need to get going if I'm going to make it in time". She got up from her chair and started gathering her things.

"How about I go for a few minutes and then bring dinner over to your house? We haven't spent a lot of time together lately, and well... I miss you," Andy admitted while rubbing the back of his neck. She stopped what she was doing and looked up at him. She detected his nervousness at admitting that last part and she found it adorable and sweet. Truth be told, she was planning on spending the night alone. She knew she had nothing to worry about with Andy or the way he felt about her, but she could use a night to work through some things. Seeing the way the victim's wife had come onto him and his friendliness in return had brought old, long-buried issues to the surface. She wasn't angry or upset, and she certainly didn't blame Andy for any of it. She just needed time to herself to regroup and shake off the last of her ex-husband's emotional baggage. But, Andy's offer was tempting and she did want to spend time with him and there was something about the way he said he missed her...

"That sounds great," she decided with a smile. "What about the Lieutenant?" She asked motioning her head in Provenza's direction.

"He's married now. Patrice can worry about that," he replied.

"Alright. Just text me when you're on your way," she decided.

"Ok, yeah. Anything in particular you want for dinner?" He asked. She was making her way towards her office door when she stopped and turned to face him.

"No. Surprise me," and with that she exited her office and headed home to catch Rusty before he left for the weekend. Andy thought she seemed a little preoccupied, but he chalked it up to the case and, more likely, Rusty's looming departure. He knew Sharon and her penchant for worrying. Plus, this was Rusty's first trip out of town without her, and Andy knew the Stroh threat was still in the back of her mind hidden away somewhere. He decided that he would bring home something special for dinner.

* * *

Once everyone had arrived at the bar, the drinks began flowing freely. Andy had been sipping his diet soda listening to his partner ramble on about this and that.

"Honestly, Flynn, if you hadn't made nice with the victim's wife, we'd probably still be trying to solve that case," Provenza said before taking another sip of his beer. "Good to see you still got it," he added with a laugh. Wait, had he flirted with the wife? He certainly didn't mean to. He was trying to be friendly, comforting, and supportive so she would trust him and open up. She did seem to be awfully friendly with him. Oh, God! Did Sharon notice? Is that why she was a little distant in her office? She did take him up on his offer, though, so she couldn't be too upset. He vowed to explain everything to her when he saw her later.

Just as Andy was about to take his leave, two blonde women who looked to be in their 30s sat down at the high top table he was currently sharing with his partner. Their attire left little to the imagination, and Andy couldn't help but cringe at the thought that he would have hit on these women just a few short years ago. Provenza noticed them as well, but didn't seem to be too bothered by their presence at the table.

"Now why are you two handsome guys sitting at this table all by yourselves?" The first woman asked with a flirtatious smile. Provenza held up his ring finger while taking another sip of his beer. Great, Andy thought. The two women instantly turned their focus to him.

"And what about you? You married, too?" The same woman asked while giving Andy a once over with her eyes.

"No, but..." He started to reply, but the second woman interrupted him.

"Oh, good! That would have been a real shame! It's so hard to find mature, single men in this city," she said exasperated. Andy wasn't sure how he felt about her use of the word "mature", but he didn't care because he just wanted to get out of there and have a nice dinner with Sharon.

"Especially ones as good lookin' and sexy as you," the first woman added. Andy just gave an annoyed smile and looked down at his phone. He had left it on the table so he could keep track of the time.

"So, you guys cops or something?" The second woman asked indicating Andy's badge on his hip.

"Yup," Andy answered aggravated while taking a sip from his soda. Were the women he pursued this annoying? Probably. How had he never noticed? The one-track mind was a powerful thing, he decided. The second woman leaned in closer to Andy making sure her abundant cleavage was in view.

"Betcha got a big gun," she stated with a look that only meant one thing. At this point, Andy had had enough. He unlocked his phone to text Sharon that he was on his way, but realized that he should hit the bathroom before he left. He excused himself ignoring the woman's suggestive comment and headed to the bathroom. The two women looked at each other and then Provenza.

"Was it something we said?" The first woman asked. Provenza, who hadn't been paying too much attention to the conversation, simply shook his head.

"Nah, he's just moody," Provenza offered.

"Oh, thank heavens. I thought it was me," the second woman answered. Meanwhile the first woman noticed that Andy had left his phone behind and it was unlocked and ringing. She picked it up, and noticed the name "Captain Sharon Raydor" on the caller ID.

"Who's... Sharon?" She asked Provenza. He took a sip of his beer and noticed Tao and Julio in another part of the bar.

"Our boss," he said dismissively and started to get up to join his co-workers. "Oh, and Flynn's girlfriend. Now if you'll excuse me," he added as he walked away. The two women looked at each other and smiled. They waited until the phone stopped ringing and then touched the messaging icon. They easily found an existing conversation between the owner of the phone and "Sharon". Without hesitation, they opened up the text window, touched the camera icon, and snapped a selfie of the two of them. Once they were happy with the result, they hit the "send" button and the picture appeared in the conversation thread. They giggled and placed the phone back on the table sure to close out of the messaging window. They both left the table before Andy returned. As he passed the table on his way out, he grabbed his phone. He had decided to text Sharon once he got the food.

* * *

After Sharon had gotten home and spent some time with Rusty before he left, she realized that she had forgotten her coat at work. She was hoping to catch Andy since the office was between the bar and her condo, but he didn't answer. She put her phone down and decided to go change out of her work clothes. As she was undressing in her room, she heard her text chime in the other room. She assumed it was Andy letting her know he was on his way or checking in to find out why she had called. Perhaps, the bar was too loud for a phone conversation. She had resigned herself to the idea of getting her coat on Monday, so she didn't hurry to check the text.

Once she had changed out of her suit and into some jeans and a tight-fitting t-shirt, she made her way back to her living room. She picked up the book she was in the middle of reading and dove right into the next chapter. It was several minutes later when she realized that she had never checked her phone to read the text. She got up from her couch and made her way to her kitchen counter where she had left it after pouring herself a glass of wine a little while ago. She picked up her phone and hit the center button. It was a text, alright, and it was from Andy like she thought. But the content of the message was the complete opposite of what she thought. She closed out of messaging without replying and re-locked her phone before placing it back down and walking back over to her couch. She sunk down onto it, but she couldn't bring herself to continue reading the book she had been enjoying just moments ago.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for all of your reviews, favorites, follows, etc. for the first chapter! Here's the next one. This was a difficult chapter for me, so I welcome your feedback.

Again, I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters. That honor belongs to James Duff and co. I just enjoy writing about them.

* * *

Chapter Two

As Sharon sat on her couch, she couldn't help but think about the picture that had been sent from her boyfriend's phone. The two women with the sultry looks on their faces, ample cleavage, and long blond hair staring at her through the glowing screen. She trusted Andy. If she didn't, she never would have moved things forward in this direction with him. She had been down this path with her not so trustworthy ex-husband, so she knew better than to travel it once again. The women in the photo made her think of Jack and how he constantly betrayed her trust in more ways than she wanted to recall. Jack had a weakness for women like this. She saw it when they went out to dinner together and he couldn't keep his eyes from wandering. She noticed it at his office parties when he paid extra attention to certain women in attendance. And she saw it when he would drink too much and hit on some of her friends. She assumed these were the type of women who warmed his bed whenever he left her with nothing but a broken heart and a callous note.

And now, these women were staring at her through a text message sent by the man, if she was honest with herself, she had fallen in love with. She thought she had healed the hurt that Jack had caused. She thought she was numb to his special breed of betrayal, but here was this photograph bringing it all back. She didn't want it to come between her and Andy, but she wasn't sure how to move past something that triggered such pain. She knew there had to be an explanation for that picture, so she hoped that it would be enough to put the past back where it belonged.

* * *

Andy had placed a takeout order at Sharon's favorite restaurant. He made sure to get her favorite entree, and he added her favorite dessert as a surprise. After he picked up the food, he headed back to his car. Once he had secured the carry out bag on the passenger side floorboard, he took his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it. He noticed the missed call from Sharon, and he cursed under his breath. He fleetingly wondered why his phone hadn't registered it on the lock screen, but filed it away for later. He opened up messaging and clicked on Sharon's name. A picture he did not remember taking popped up on his screen. It took him a minute to register what had happened, and then it hit him. He left his phone on the table when he went to the restroom and those annoying women must have taken it and sent the picture. He looked at the line under the picture and saw the "Read" indicator meaning Sharon had seen the photo. "Shit," he cursed angrily to his empty car. What the hell were those women thinking?

He thought about texting a short "Please ignore. I'll explain when I get there" response, but stopped himself. It seemed too informal, too cold. Next, he contemplated calling her and explaining, but then he couldn't see her face, and more importantly, she couldn't see his. He wouldn't be able to read her emotions or look deep in her eyes. No, this had to be done in person. He didn't like making her wait for an explanation even longer than she already had, but there was just no other way to handle this horrible situation. He just hoped Sharon would still answer the door when he got there. Then, he realized he was supposed to text her when he was on his way. Well, that was shot to hell now. There was no way he was ignoring the elephant in the room and sending her a simple "on my way" text. What a mess, he thought.

* * *

The elevator ride from the visitor parking at Sharon's condo building to her floor was, quite possibly, the longest elevator ride of Andy's life. As he waited to reach the eleventh floor, he impatiently tapped his foot and fiddled with the plastic bag that held their dinner. He watched the floors tick off on the small screen overhead, but he wasn't sure if he wanted them to go faster or slower. He was dreading the pending conversation and chomping at the bit to talk to her at the same time.

When the elevator finally reached Sharon's floor, Andy walked out and nervously headed to her door. He knocked lightly and said a silent prayer that she would at least open it. He waited and waited. Just when he was about to knock again, she slowly opened the door and looked at him. He could tell something was on her mind. She didn't look like she had been crying, but she definitely looked upset. This confused Andy a bit because he was expecting her to be angry.

"Hi," she said quietly breaking the ice. "Come on in," she instructed and she moved aside so he could walk past her. After he entered her condo, she closed the door behind him. He carried the food bag to her kitchen and placed it on her counter. He was itching to address the tension hanging between them, but Sharon seemed to want to ignore it for now. She came into the kitchen and started taking plates out of her cabinets. Then, she grabbed some silverware and took everything to the dining room table. As she set the table, she looked over in Andy's direction.

"What would you like to drink? I don't have much, but there's some diet soda and juice in there," she offered while she finished setting the table. She walked back into the kitchen and started getting the take out containers out of the bag. Andy just stood there a bit dumbfounded. This wasn't what he expected at all. She definitely wasn't herself, and she seemed very detached, but she wasn't reading him the riot act in that low, cold tone he had become too familiar with back when she was in IA and he was a pain in the ass detective.

"I'll just have some water," he finally answered. He couldn't stomach diet soda after everything that had happened. He watched her take a glass out of her cabinet and go to her refrigerator to fill it with ice and water. With her back turned to him, she started to speak.

"I'm sorry. I would have had all of this ready, but I didn't realize you were on your way," she said quietly. She was apologizing to him? This was all his fault. If it was possible to feel worse than he already did, then he was definitely feeling it now.

"It's my fault, Sharon," he said simply, but contritely. She looked over at him and the pain he saw in her eyes made his heart ache with something he hadn't felt in a very long time. In fact, he had forgotten what it felt like to disappoint someone you loved so much. Yes, he loved her. He hadn't told her, and if he wasn't kicking himself for that before, well, he certainly was tonight.

She moved over to the table and sat down. He decided to follow her. He knew Sharon well enough to know that she would talk about it when she was ready. Trying to push her to do it sooner would only lead to disaster, and he had started enough of those tonight. They both ate their meals in relative silence. She asked him a question or two about Provenza, but otherwise, the tension continued to build as the silence seemed to swallow them whole.

After dinner, Sharon got up and started cleaning. She was facing the sink rinsing off the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher when she finally broke the silence.

"I know there is a good explanation, Andy," she said quietly, but genuinely. He moved a couple of steps closer to her. "I'm just not sure if I'm ready to talk about it right now." He paused and studied her from behind. Her posture looked tense, but not angry. He was surprised to hear her confession.

"Yeah, of course. We talk when you're ready, Sharon. There's no rush," he explained softly. He was just relieved to find out that she wanted to talk. She turned around so she was facing him. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth. Andy thought that she looked insecure.

"I'm sorry, Andy. All of this is opening old wounds that I thought had healed. I thought I could keep it from coming between us, but I seem to be failing," she said sadly. He took a couple steps closer to her. He was tempted to take her hands in his, but thought better of it.

"Sharon," he said softly. She looked up and met his gaze. "You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. I'm the idiot here," he said apologetically. She surprised him by taking both of his hands in hers.

"Just know that I trust you, Andy," she said squeezing his hands. He returned her gesture. She took both of her thumbs and softly rubbed the inside of his wrists. He took her words and her actions as an invitation to say something that he needed her to know.

"And I will _never_ do anything to jeopardize that trust," he assured her genuinely. Sharon pulled on his hands to pull him towards her until they were embracing. He held her as tight as he could and she seemed to do the same. They swayed slightly. He was so lost in her that he almost didn't hear her whispered question.

"Who were they?" She asked emotionally.

"Some women who sat down at our table and tried to hit on Provenza and me. I excused myself to use the restroom and stupidly left my phone on the table. The rest... Well, you know the rest. I didn't see it until I went to text you when I picked up the food," he explained, speaking into her hair. She didn't say anything at first. Andy knew she needed to process the information. Finally, she broke the silence.

"Ok," she said simply. She pulled out of the embrace, and Andy found her face hard to read. "Jack had a weakness for women like that, and everything that I thought was long resolved was apparently, only buried. It's just something that I need to work through," she confessed matter-of-factly. Andy could tell that she wanted to be alone. The last thing he wanted was to leave her after everything that had happened, but he knew that Sharon needed her space. He could give her that.

"I think I'm going to call it a night, Andy. Thank you for dinner. And I'm sorry about all of this... baggage," she said contritely.

"Hey, you're talking to the person who has enough baggage to fill a passenger plane," he said lightly and they shared a smile. They made their way to her door, and she turned and hugged him again. She held him as tightly as she could. Andy could feel emotion building inside himself.

"Are we alright?" He whispered. She pulled out of the hug and looked him in the eye.

"I hope so. I think we will be," she said as unshed tears glistened in her eyes. Andy nodded and turned to walk out the door. She watched him leave and then closed the door behind him. She leaned against it and let the tears she had been holding back all night flow freely down her face.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for your feedback and support for this story. Here's the next chapter!

Obviously, I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters. That honor belongs to James Duff and co. I just enjoy writing about them.

* * *

Chapter Three

Saturday came and went without a word from Sharon. Andy wasn't surprised. He hadn't expected her to reach out so soon. He busied himself with yard work and other tasks around his house. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He couldn't stop thinking about the pain his saw written on her face or the revelation that all of this was bringing back bad memories from her past. The one thing he never wanted to do was to remind her of Jack. He felt terrible. And to make it worse, he was worried about her. He knew that she had handled all of this herself the first time, so she was certainly capable, but he wanted to be there for her. He wanted to hold her, to tell her and show her how much he loved her and that she was the only woman he wanted in his life.

But he couldn't do any of that right now. She needed time to process and to work through the demons from her past. He understood that because he was the same way. He just wished that he could see her or hear her voice to know that she was okay. He resisted the temptation to force her to talk before she was ready and spent a quiet night at home watching the Dodgers.

On Sunday, he found himself wishing he would get a call about a case. At least then he would get to see her. He thought about calling her to see if she needed anything, but chickened out right before pushing her name on his cell phone. He composed several text messages, but erased them all before he sent them. He kept his phone close by just in case she reached out to him. She didn't.

By Monday morning, he was a mess of different emotions, but worked hard to keep them hidden. He was at his desk reviewing some case notes when he heard the familiar footsteps coming down the hall. Sharon breezed into the murder room in her usual way, all impeccably dressed without a hair out of place or a make-up smudge. She smelled heavenly and her presence lit the room and the mood.

"Good morning. I hope everyone had a nice weekend," she greeted them without a hint of discord, and she was met with a chorus of return greetings. Andy dared to meet her gaze, and when he did, he saw warmth and pain. She hid it well, _very_ well, but it was there just beneath the surface. He wondered if she was able to see the same in his eyes. He suspected she did since he was not as good at hiding his. He watched her walk to her office and enter leaving the door open. It took every fiber of his being not to follow her.

Once she was out of sight, he took a moment to casually look around the murder room. Everyone seemed busy with their own tasks. If anyone noticed anything, they certainly weren't showing it. After completing the sweep, his eyes once again landed on Sharon. She was settling into her chair, and Andy could see the weight she was carrying on her shoulders. He suspected her weekend had been as hard as his and it pained him.

The morning was uneventful, but just as everyone was getting ready to grab some lunch, a call came in and the team hurried out to the scene. Sharon sat in her office enjoying the silence for a moment. She knew that Andy was worried about her. She had felt his eyes on her more than once. She wanted to reach out to him. Wanted to reassure him, but how could she when she couldn't even reassure herself? She had spent her entire weekend wrestling with her past. When she had first learned that Rusty was going to be gone, she had entertained the idea of inviting Andy to stay with her for the first time. She was nervous about asking him, so she hadn't done it and had been hoping to lead into it with dinner until things took an unfortunate detour. They hadn't shared a bed or the intimacy that came along with that yet, and she wasn't exactly sure how to ask if he wanted to take that step and spend the weekend together. She smiled at the thought of spending an entire weekend with Andy just the two of them before remembering that she had to clear away her own baggage first.

Thinking about her painful past caused her to let out a sigh, so she shifted her focus. Maybe her original expectations for the weekend were contributing to all of this. Maybe she wasn't ready to cross that line and remove the final barrier between them. Or maybe, it was her paranoia that she was holding the relationship back by taking things too slowly. Was her fear of getting hurt again becoming a self fulfilling prophecy? It was all starting to jumble together in her mind. Thankfully, her phone rang and provided a welcome interruption.

"Yes, Lieutenant," she answered picking up her cell phone.

"Captain, it seems that our report of a body was really _bodies_ once we checked the other rooms," Provenza said over the line.

"How many?" She asked concerned.

"Three, and one of them is a child. All shot execution style," he said sadly. Sharon closed her eyes and slightly shook her head.

"Ok, Lieutenant. So, we have a killer on the loose who isn't above murdering children," She said shaking her head. "I'll coordinate with Chief Howard and have Chief Taylor lockdown any schools in the area. Anything else?"

"No, I think that covers it, Captain. Thank you," Provenza answered sadly. He went to hang-up when he heard her voice once again.

"Oh, and Lieutenant, please be careful. I want all of you coming back in one piece," she concluded.

"Of course, Captain," he replied before hanging up. Silence once again filled Sharon's office. As terrible as this case was shaping up to be, she couldn't help but feel a bit relieved to have something to focus on other than her own problems. She picked up her office phone to begin coordinating the investigation.

* * *

The next few days were a blur of leads, setbacks, suspects, and emotions. Finally, they were able to solve the case and make a deal that nobody, even Sharon, was too happy about in the end. This was just one of those cases that wasn't leaving their memories any time soon. It did serve to distract Sharon from her own situation which she was a tiny bit thankful for even though she felt guilty about it.

When she got home that night and finally found herself relaxing in her bathtub with a good book and a full glass of wine, thoughts about what had happened between her and Andy started to creep back in. She tried to dismiss them, but she realized that not thinking about it was only serving to delay any sort of resolution. She decided to focus on why this particular betrayal was bothering her so much right now when she hadn't let it surface in close to two decades. After quite some time dwelling on it, she came up with nothing but a headache and decided to call it a night.

When Andy got home and sunk into his bed for the first time in what felt like forever, his thoughts instantly returned to Sharon. It had been almost a week since the text message. They hadn't talked about anything other than the case, and Andy was really getting worried that they might not be able to repair the damage that his carelessness with his phone had caused. The thought left him feeling helpless. He tossed and turned most of the night.

* * *

The next morning, Sharon arrived early to work. She put her stuff down in her office and headed to the break room to make some coffee. Since she was the first one in the office, this meant that she got to make the coffee her way.

As she was filling the water reserve and measuring out the coffee grounds, she heard the break room door open and shut quietly. She turned around hesitantly and was surprised to see Lieutenant Provenza walking towards her.

"Good morning, Captain," he greeted her and she returned it. "I'm glad you're the one making the coffee this morning. For whatever else I might think about you, you do make good coffee," he said standing next to her. She slowly turned towards him and arched her eyebrow and pursed her lips.

"'Whatever else you may think about me'?" She asked dangerously. He turned to look at her just in time to see her cross her arms.

"Yeah, well, you know," he said simply.

"No, really, I don't. Why don't you enlighten me?" She answered. Provenza knew he was treading into dangerous territory, but he also knew when the Captain was just giving him a hard time. Two could play that game.

"Well, you do have a way of casting quite the spell on Flynn," he retorted. He watched confusion dance across her face and he could tell she was thinking.

"I assure you, I have no idea what you're talking about," she finally answered. Provenza decided that his idiot partner mustn't have told her anything about Friday night.

"It's just, I've never seen him have absolutely zero interest in... _certain women_ before. Or really any other woman," he said stumbling over the proper way to describe the women from last weekend. "Who isn't you, that is," he added quietly. She looked puzzled or maybe contemplative, he couldn't be sure. He paused, and then decided to continue. What the hell, he thought. In for a penny...

"These women were all but throwing themselves at him, and he was not even slightly interested. In fact, he actually got angry at them and stormed off. I've never seen him like that," Provenza continued and Sharon found her thoughts wandering off. She never doubted Andy's loyalty to her or his commitment to their relationship, and yet, there was something about hearing this from Provenza that resonated. Something that she couldn't put her finger on, but decided she needed to file away for later when she could dissect it better. Here in the break room with her second in command was neither the time nor the place.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," she said simply and filled her mug and exited the breakdown. Provenza was a little dumbfounded, but then again, he really didn't understand those two lovesick idiots.

When Sharon returned to the murder room, she noticed that the rest of her team had filed in for the day. Everyone was getting caught up on a huge backlog of paperwork. She looked over in Andy's direction and saw him focusing on his own paperwork. Seeing him was painful and she turned away as she finished the trek to her office.

Once safely inside, she slumped into her chair and took a sip of her bitter coffee. It wasn't the way she usually liked to drink it, but it felt like what she needed this morning. She went to start on her own stack of things that needed her attention when Provenza's words and the pain she felt when she looked at Andy collided in her mind. As she let them tumble around in there, something became abundantly clear. Suddenly, the fog that she had been living under lifted and the answers that she had been seeking were right there in front of her. She needed to talk to Andy.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to each any every one of you who reviewed, favorited, followed, etc. this little angsty story! Your support and encouragement means so much! This is (sadly) the last chapter in this little trip through Sharon's experience dealing with her past in order to move forward with her present. There is some content at the end of the chapter that definitely dances along the T/M line, so just be aware as you approach that part of the story.

As always, I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters. That honor belongs to James Duff and co. I just enjoy writing about them.

* * *

After they wrapped things up for the day, Andy stopped by a meeting. When he finally got home, he walked into his kitchen and started reheating leftovers. Once he heard the hum of the microwave, he walked to his bedroom and began changing out of his suit and into a t-shirt and basketball shorts. He rubbed a hand over his face and let out a sigh. Things still weren't any closer to reconciliation with Sharon and it was growing more concerning by the day. As he walked back towards his living room, he contemplated going over to her condo. By the time he had sunk down onto his couch, he realized it was a bad idea.

He was lost in his thoughts when he heard a knock at his door. He got up to walk towards the sound and tried not to get his hopes up about who could be on the other side. He opened it and found a hesitant Sharon Raydor.

"Hi," she said quietly and offered him a small smile. He was happy to see her, and that smile, God, he had missed her.

"Hi," he replied surprised and offered his own smile. Sharon seemed to loosen up a bit at the site of it. She looked relieved. "Come in, please," he offered warmly and moved aside so she could enter.

After they were both inside his foyer, he closed the door and turned to face her. They took a moment to just drink in the sight of each other, and it brought a warm glow and smile to both of their faces. Just then, the microwave dinged, and Andy realized that he had forgotten all about his dinner.

"I'm sorry. I'm interrupting your dinner. I can come back later," She offered. She barely got the words out when Andy quickly interjected.

"Absolutely not. Dinner can wait. I'm not that hungry anyway," he replied. She offered him a sad smile.

"Andy, I want to thank you for allowing me the time to work through some things," she started. He went to take her hands, but stopped himself.

"Of course, Sharon. You know I'll always wait for you. No matter what," he said sincerely.

"I know, and I just hope that I'm not taking advantage of that," she began, but he interrupted her.

"Sharon, I do it because I want to. I want to be sure that you're Ok with everything. That we're on the same page because if not, then this is never gonna work," he explained. She nodded and then paused unsure of how to continue.

"This was never about you. I just need you to know that," she said sincerely and he nodded. "I've spent most of the last, almost week now, trying to figure out why things I thought were no longer an issue were coming up in our relationship. I certainly don't want them to. I want my past to stay far away in the past," she took a moment to collect her thoughts. "Oddly enough, it was Provenza who snapped me out of it," she added and Andy gave her a puzzled look.

"He was telling me about Friday night and how he'd never seen you like that and it just clicked all of a sudden. The reason Jack's betrayal was so raw for me these past few days is because I didn't want to think about it happening to me again. To us," she paused a moment and Andy took it as a sign to jump in.

"Sharon, I would never do that to you," he started, but she shook her head and he stopped.

"I know that. And that's the thing, Andy. I was looking for a way to leave my past behind and the answer was in front of me the entire time: You. You are my present, and hopefully..." She paused again hesitant about the rest of her answer. "My future," she concluded and matched his gaze. His brown eyes were teeming with emotion.

"Sharon, I'm here as long as you want me to be. I'm not going anywhere. You're it for me," he said softly as unshed tears shone in his eyes.

"Good, because I was kinda hoping you would stick around for a long time," she answered with her own unshed tears. He pulled her toward him and took her into his arms. They both closed their eyes and let the feeling of being surrounded by the other sweep over them. It felt warm and inviting. It felt safe. It felt like home.

"I love you," Sharon said softly into his neck. Andy held her tighter until the burning need to see her face overwhelmed him. He pulled out of her embrace just enough to look her in the eyes.

"Good," he rasped. "Because I kinda happen to be completely in love with you," he said with a smile. He watched her face light up with her own smile and knew that stepping away from the embrace had been worth it. This time, Sharon closed the space between them and held him close. With her face buried in his neck, she breathed in his scent and gently caressed the back of his neck. Andy nuzzled her hair away from her neck and began placing soft, tender kisses on it. He made a trail up to her jawline and then over to her lips. When he got closer to her mouth, she moved her hands to both sides of his face and pulled him towards her. Their lips crashed together desperately and every emotion from the last few days poured out of them and into that kiss. When the need for air won out, they pulled away, but remained close.

"I wouldn't mind kissing you like that for the rest of my life," he whispered.

"Careful, I might hold you to that," she answered with a grin. He brought his lips back onto hers and they began a coordinated dance that quickly began to include tongues and teeth, neither feeling they could get close enough to the other. There was a desperate need to stay connected like this for the foreseeable future. It was born out of pain and the feeling that they could have lost all of this entirely.

They blindly started to move towards his couch. Sharon let Andy guide her since she was completely lost in him and the emotions that were swirling around in her head and through her quickly overheating body. When they reached the couch, Sharon pulled him down on top of her and they resumed their connection. They slowed their pace a bit, and enjoyed the feeling of slow, languid kisses that left then both a bit breathless.

Andy finally tore his lips away from hers, and allowed them to blaze a path back down her jaw to her neck. He paid attention to her breathing and easily found a spot on her neck that seemed to drive her crazy. After spending extra time there, he continued down her neck to her enticing décolletage. He undid the top button on her blouse and then the second exposing the lacy top of her bra. He gently kissed along the top of her cleavage and enjoyed the soft moans his actions provoked. He undid the third button and took a moment to simply enjoy the sight of her partially exposed skin straining against the rest of her lace bra. He took his hand and softly ran his fingertips across her cleavage. He heard her breath catch in her throat, and he smiled at the sight of her. She was so beautiful in more ways than he could express.

He wasn't sure how far she wanted things to go, so he decided to slow it down a bit. He moved back up to her lips and captured them again. It was a slow, passionate kiss that left her feeling giddy.

"I love you," she said this time to his face.

"I love you, too," he whispered in return and kissed her quickly, but tenderly. "Want to get some dinner?" He added.

"I don't want to leave this happy bubble with you," she cooed. "But I guess we should probably eat something," she decided with a tinge of disappoint in her voice.

"Hey, I have no plans tonight, so we can continue this later if you'd like," he said with a flirty smile. He sat up and allowed her to do the same.

"So... To be continued, then?" She added with her own flirty smile. He nodded while watching her button up her blouse. He noticed that she left the top one open and he couldn't help the surge of electricity it and her suggestive words sent through his body.

* * *

Andy reheated a big helping of leftovers and they sat in companionable silence while they enjoyed them. Throughout the meal, they would catch each other stealing glances or smiling like teenagers. It was a weird feeling, but certainly not unpleasant. They were just finishing up, when Sharon seemed to turn more serious.

"Andy, I'm truly sorry for putting you through this mess the past few days," she said apologetically. Andy gently placed his fork down on his plate and took her hand.

"Hey, you don't owe me an apology. Our pasts are our pasts, Sharon. We think we've got a handle on them, but we've both been through a lot. Truth is, neither one of us knows how our demons are going to affect us along the way. As long as we keep talking and keep trusting each other, I think we'll be okay," he concluded. She smiled contemplatively.

"It caught me by surprise. I should have handled it better," she admitted.

"Doesn't matter. You handled it, and I think we came out stronger for it. That's all that matters," he said squeezing her hand.

"Yes, we did," she agreed and smiled brightly at him. After a moment, Andy got up and took both of their plates to the kitchen. He quickly rinsed them off and placed them in the dishwasher while she put the rest of the stuff away. When they were finished, they found themselves back on his couch. She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest over his heart. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes until Sharon put a voice to her thoughts.

"You mentioned something about not having any plans tonight," she said with a flirty tone and she turned her head so she could see his face.

"Yup," he answered with a smile. "Why, you got something in mind?" He added with a flirtatious tone.

"Hmm... Maybe," she flirted back. Andy wasn't exactly sure where she was going with this, but he was game to follow along.

"Care to fill me in?" He asked before kissing the top of her head.

"I think it would be a lot more fun if I just showed you," she whispered before capturing his lips in a searing kiss. Heat spread throughout their bodies. As the kiss deepened, Sharon pulled him towards her and they toppled back a bit uncoordinated until they were horizontal on the couch. When they had shifted themselves into a more comfortable position, they resumed the heated kisses and added wandering hands. Sharon enjoyed the weight of him on top of her. The way his mouth moved with hers while his hands traveled along her body sending a tantalizing mix of heat and goosebumps to spread throughout.

Andy resumed his earlier path kissing his way across her jaw, down her neck, and to the open top button of her blouse. He brought his hands to the front of it and began slowly unbuttoning the others. With each button, he kissed the newly exposed skin and took delight in the goosebumps he could see rising in his wake. After he reached the last button, he moved back up her body and slowly pushed the two sides of the blouse away to expose more of her skin. He paused and looked up at her, and she nodded her approval. He pushed the material completely away and sat up a bit to admire the site in front of him. She was breathtaking.

He leaned back down and kissed her tenderly. When he pulled his lips away from hers, he moved them further up her face.

"You," he whispered before softly kissing her forehead.

"Are," he whispered before kissing her nose.

"So beautiful," he finished before fully capturing her lips once again. The kiss easily turned passionate, and Sharon tangled her hands in the hair at the back of his neck pulling him closer.

They stayed like that for a while. Both enjoying the freedom to simply be together. To enjoy each other. To explore new territory and test boundaries. They allowed their hands to lazily touch previously uncharted territory while their mouths connected. Sharon felt like she could get lost in this feeling and the warmth that it spread all over her body. She felt giddy and light. She felt loved and in love. It was glorious.

"Maybe we should move this to your bedroom," she suggested breathlessly in between kissing him. She felt a wave of embarrassment come over her, and it caused her to giggle at how out of practice she was with all of this. Andy picked up on it and decided to lighten the moment.

"No arguments here. I've been wanting to get you into my bed for a long time," he answered with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. She just resumed her giggles allowing him to pull her up and off the couch.

"You are terrible, you know that?" She asked while lightly swatting his arm. He responded by picking her up and carrying her to his bedroom as her laughter rang out down the hallway. Once they were inside his room, he put her down and slowly pushed her blouse off the rest of her shoulders and down her arms. He kept his eyes locked on hers and he watched as desire turned them the prettiest shade of green he'd ever seen. She moved closer and slowly brought her lips to his. They began a slow, passionate kiss that had liquid fire running through their bodies and pooling in their groins.

Sharon began lifting up Andy's shirt allowing her hands to trace every inch of his skin on the way up. When they had to break apart to remove the shirt over his head, he spun her around so her back was against his chest. He moved her hair to one side and began kissing her neck and shoulders. She leaned into him and let out soft moans that drove him crazy. While he continued to kiss her sensitive skin, he ran his hands down her arms and then to the front of her pants. He carefully unbuttoned and unzipped them. With one fluid motion, he pushed them down her hips and they pooled on the floor at her feet. He gently ran his hand down the front of her panties and heard her breath hitch. He did it several more times before moving his hands back up her body gently caressing along the way. When he reached her breasts, he covered them with his palms and massaged them hungrily through the lacy material.

Sharon's moans encouraged him, and he undid the clasp on her front clasp bra. He slowly pulled the lacy fabric back enjoying the way the soft flesh of her breasts filled his hands. As his own desire built, he began kissing her neck and shoulders with more intensity. He teased her hardened peaks with his thumb and forefinger as Sharon moaned and arched her back into his touch and ministrations on her neck. He allowed his right hand to slowly travel back down her body while his left continued enjoying the feel of her breasts. When he reached the elastic band of her panties, he lifted it and began moving his hand further down underneath. Sharon's breathing got heavier, and Andy watched as her chest rose and fell faster as he explored the new territory.

After teasing her a few times, Sharon turned her head and crashed her lips into his. They shared a passionate kiss. He slowly removed his fingers and pushed her panties the rest of the way down. She turned around in his arms and pushed his shorts down.

"We still haven't made it to the bed," she whispered with a smile.

He kissed her passionately and then removed the final clothing barrier between them. They finally made their way to his bed and fell onto it in an undignified heap. They took a moment to enjoy the feeling of heated skin on skin. They allowed their hands to caress and tease until the desire became too strong. Their lips connected as they finally melded their bodies into one. The connection was powerful and overwhelming, so they took a moment to catch their breath before they started a steady rhythm. As they gradually increased their motion, their hands locked together and their kisses became more desperate. Finally, Sharon fell over the edge. She let the calm wash over her as she felt Andy fall over a few moments later.

As they laid together in his bed skin still heated and bodies still tangled in the afterglow, Sharon reflected on everything that had happened over the last several days. She hated what her fears and emotional scars had done to her and Andy, but she was thankful for what they had done to their relationship. She felt closer to him than she ever had, and she no longer had any fear of history repeating itself. She knew that with Andy by her side, her past would remain where it belonged and her future was yet to be written. Whatever may come, she knew they were in it together. And that thought filled her with warmth and, strangely enough, set her free. With Andy, she found the freedom to leave her past behind and head happily into her future hand in hand.

THE END


End file.
